Despite having dementia, seniors can still enjoy life. Include various activities to keep your aging loved one’s body and mind stimulated while providing enjoyment. You can design a number of activities for your loved one to participate in daily. Simply use a few strategies to determine the ideal tasks.
Consider Your Parent’s Abilities
Offer activities based on your loved one’s attention span and ability to follow instructions. Trying to get your loved one to participate in a task that’s too complicated could leave him or her frustrated and angry. Depending on the level of dementia, your loved one may be comfortable engaging in tasks alone, or he or she might require constant supervision and guidance. Also take physical capabilities into consideration. For instance, a senior living with arthritis might not find engaging in activities that require the extensive use of fine motor skills especially pleasant.
Seniors with dementia can optimize their quality of life with the help of a highly trained, experienced professional caregiver. If your senior loved one needs professional dementia care, Rhode Island caregivers are available around the clock to provide the high-quality care he or she needs. Using the revolutionary Cognitive Therapeutics Method, dementia caregivers can help your loved one stay mentally engaged and delay the progression of the disease.
Customize Activities for Your Loved One’s Personal Interests
Your loved one may enjoy activities based on interests he or she had prior to developing cognitive impairment. Ask what activities your loved one might enjoy. Some seniors might be happy to work on craft projects, while others might enjoy playing a musical instrument once again. You can also introduce activities based on your loved one’s previous career or a much-loved hobby. A senior who was an office employee might like typing. Those who painted might like coloring adult-styled pages using crayons or markers. Seniors who once enjoyed outdoor activities might like walking through the park or visiting a nature preserve.
Diversify the Activities
Keep your loved one interested by offering different tasks daily. Your parent might be eager to help with household chores. Additionally, make time for working a simple jigsaw puzzle or singing to favorite tunes. Offering a variety of activities provides greater cognitive stimulation. Incorporate tasks that activate the creative, memory, and intellectual regions of the brain.
Seniors with dementia often need assistance with everyday activities so they can age in place in safety and comfort. If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with a serious condition and needs help with tasks like meal prep, transportation, bathing, and grooming, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of home care families can trust. We also offer comprehensive care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Design Activities that Include Family & Friends
Adult family members can work with your loved one during meal preparation. Grandchildren might enjoy playing games with your parent. Reminiscing with friends during an afternoon luncheon could be enjoyable. Planning diverse activities offers your parent new sources of stimulation and encourages more people to engage in quality time with him or her.
Monitor Reactions
While your loved one is engaging in a particular task, monitor his or her reactions. Determine if he or she is able to pay attention long enough to enjoy the activity. The activity might be too simple or too complicated to hold his or her interest. Some activities may need to be modified to suit your loved one’s cognitive or physical abilities. For example, he or she might enjoy putting together puzzles, but certain ones may be too complicated. Your loved one might also like coloring, but some pages may have designs that are too complex and confusing.
If your loved one is living with dementia, having a trained professional caregiver close by can provide you and your family with much-needed peace of mind. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of in-home care. Rhode Island families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet their elderly loved ones’ unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. Home Care Assistance can be your trusted partner when your loved one needs help with the challenges of aging. Call us today at (401) 284-0979 to learn about our high-quality in-home care services.